Archive for March, 2011

April begins shortly or may have already begun bepend upon where you are. The origin of the name of the Roman month Aprilis is unclear, it may refer to the opening (aperire) of buds and flowers as Spring arrives or to the goddess Venus, to whom it is a sacred month. So, what themes shall be explored this month? Spring? Romance? Opening? Your thoughts, dear readers? Suggestions are welcome.

Edit: I am also doing the the Blogging from A to Z Challenge for April so expect a lot of magic items based on Greco-Roman mythology especially the gods.

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Everyone knows that the Dragons defeated the gods in a great war. Only two gods survived the draconic conquest, the Sun, without which the world would become cold and dark and who was condemned to an eternity in chains, and the Moon, who was too capricious to be caught and who hides among the stars. But in fact, that is not the whole truth, Death, without whom there is no end, survived, chained by the Dragon Empress to his iron throne the palace of ice and twilight in the Underworld beyond the Realm of Shadows.

To solve this problem, a new group of four Heralds needed to be recruited to act as Death’s agents in the Underworld and the Realm of Shadows. To do so, they would have to met Death, venture through the Realm and Shodows and the Underworld to retrieve the four symbols of the previous heralds and reshape them into their own talismans of authority . . . Who would be up to such a task? Read the rest of this entry ?

Gentlemen, do you fear for you lives and property when venturing off the main streets? Do you seek a way to protect yourselves and your fine clothes from the vagaries of both weather and and ruffians? If so, than look no farther!

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From the trailers and ads, you would expect Zack Snyder’s new movie Sucker Punch to be a gamer’s dream unfortunately, it is not. Not even close.

Short, no spoilers review: The all too brief CGI-fueled frenetic action scenes cannot save a movie with a weak and incoherent plot, flat acting and an incredible lack of dramatic tension. If you must see this movie, wait and rent it so you can freeze the action scenes and appreciate how much is packed into them and fast forward through the rest.

The druid Liyn who accompanied the warriors studied the deadly river and found a place where two trees were almost perfectly placed across from each other. She produced a twisted root, ancient and ripe with the power of the green. With a prayer to the forest she touched it to the tree on her side and threw it across the water. As it spun through the air, roots from both trees reached out for it, meeting in the middle of the water, wrapping around the ancient root and each other forming a bridge of roots wide enough for two men to pass each other on. And the warriors continued on their journey.

Bridge of Roots

These are old and twisted roots taken from ancient groves. They shift slowly as if seeking a place to root itself.

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Agilon of the Club was a simple man, wielding a simple weapon yet few could stand before his club. He faced down swordsmen, axe fighters and lancers with nothing more then his trusty length of wood.

Simple Yet Deadly (Combat)

You have mastered the potential of a basic weapon and turned it into a better tool for killing.

Prerequisites: Weapon Focus in a simple weapon.

Benefit: The damage for the simple weapon increases by one step on the following list, as if the weapon’s size had increased by one category. Damage dice increase as follows: 1d2, 1d3, 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, 2d6, and so on.

Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new type of weapon.

Simple Killing (Combat)

In your hands, a simple weapon becomes a tool of unprecedented death and destruction.

Prerequisites: Simple Yet Deadly.

Benefit: The critical multiplier for the simple weapon increases by one.

Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new type of weapon.

Notes: Just pondering ways to make simple weapons more dangerous and give characters more options. As Harbinger of Doom suggests below, they can be rolled into one feat with little fear of it being overpowered.

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The first attempt on the Dictator of Varanda’s life failed when his stylus left to his defense buying him enough time to draw his dagger and call for help. Two more time, his animated stylus would save him from attempts on his life but it would prove no protection against poison administered by his latest mistress.

Shielding Stylus

These come in many forms from simple reed stylus to dyed quill to decorated fountain pen. But they are something a bureaucrat or a politician can keep close to hand without attracting attention.